Latest news with #Landgraf
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Landgraf's food truck freedom bill heads to Governor's desk
NOTE: The video above first aired on March 6, 2025. AUSTIN (KMID/KPEJ)- Legislation by State Representative Brooks Landgraf to eliminate bureaucratic hurdles for food truck owners across Texas has cleared both chambers of the Texas Legislature and is now headed to Governor Greg Abbott's desk to be signed into law. House Bill 2844 creates a single, statewide health permit for food trucks issued by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). This new system replaces the confusing patchwork of local health permits and duplicative inspections that currently burden mobile food vendors operating in multiple jurisdictions. 'Food truck owners shouldn't have to jump through a different set of hoops every time they cross a city limit,' Landgraf said. 'This bill provides a consistent, statewide framework for health permitting—cutting red tape while keeping food safety standards strong.' HB 2844 ensures that mobile food vendors are held to uniform, high health standards without being subjected to redundant local regulations. At the same time, the bill preserves local control by allowing cities to continue enforcing rules on where, when, and how food trucks operate—such as zoning restrictions, hours of operation, and proximity to events or schools. 'This is a big win for Texas small business owners, especially the hard-working entrepreneurs running food trucks in our communities,' Landgraf said. 'Instead of spending thousands of dollars on repetitive permits and unnecessary fees, food truck owners will be able to reinvest that money into growing their business—upgrading equipment, hiring more staff, and expanding their operations.' Landgraf filed the Food Truck Freedom bill at the request of several food truck operators in Odessa and Monahans. State Senator Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) sponsored the bill in the Senate. The bill received overwhelming bipartisan support in both chambers and is set to take effect on July 1, 2026, following the creation of the statewide permit by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas Senate gives preliminary OK to House Bill 2
May 23—AUSTIN — The Texas Senate has given preliminary approval to House Bill 2 to fund public schools and raise teacher and staff pay, according to a Facebook post from State Rep. Brooks Landgraf, R-Odessa. HB 2, which Landgraf co-authored, is an $8.5 billion increase in funding for Texas public schools, and it has been this year's legislative priority for the Texas House. The Senate has to vote on final passage May 23. "I'm proud to support it, and am grateful that the Senate has now passed it. This is an investment in our students, and by extension the future of Texas. Teachers need pay raises, and this provides $4.2 billion into teachers' pockets," Landgraf said in the post. For those who had concerns about education savings accounts, this is the pro-public education counterbalance to that, he wrote. "I look forward to one more vote to send HB 2 to the governor's desk. This record-breaking funding, combined with scrapping the STAAR exam, would make this the best legislative session for Texas public schools in my lifetime. I'm ready to make it happen, and Texas students, teachers and parents deserve nothing less," he said. Details included in the new version of HB 2 are: — $8.5 billion in new funding, the largest single increase in public education funding in Texas history. — $4.2 billion for record permanent teacher and staff pay raises. — $1.3 billion in Allotment for Basic Costs (ABC) to assist districts with expenses like insurance, utilities, and TRS contributions. — $2 billion to update special education formulas and fund full-day pre-K, early learning interventions, and Career & Technical Education (CTE). — $430 million for school safety. Under the new law, Ector County ISD would gain $21,456,765 in fiscal year 2026, information from Landgraf said. In fiscal year 2027, it would gain $25, 241,964. Dallas Kennedy, a special education teacher at the Transition Learning Center, said Thursday he was glad to see that they provided money for raises for all staff. He added that $4.2 billion was allotted for teacher raises and another $500 million for all other staff. "While selfishly I loved the idea of getting a raise, I was more worried about the bus drivers and paraprofessionals getting raises," Kennedy said. He added that ECISD "has done a great job stretching every penny they had, but they were out of pennies to stretch. Hopefully this bill will help the district balance it's budget."
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Female exec 'sacked from £220k job for getting drunk at work trip to Austria' lost her room key and showed 'concerning' behaviour after 'drinking heavily', 'tech bro' CEO tells tribunal
A high-flying female executive who claims she was sacked for getting drunk on a work trip in Austria was 'drinking heavily' and 'clearly more intoxicated than others', her boss has told an employment tribunal. Shannon Burns - who was on £220,000 a year - is suing for sex discrimination after complaining of the rampant 'tech bro' culture at the 'male-dominated' firm that hired her. But the CEO of Gitpod, Johannes Landgraf, claims she displayed 'concerning' behaviour - including losing her room key and having to stay in a sauna room. He said she also lost her iPad and AirPods - and looked 'disheveled' the morning after. Mr Landgraf told an employment tribunal he had a shot of a 'Swiss pine liquor' with 'trailblazing' Ms Burns - then saw her pour herself a 'large glass of wine', before proceeding to get more drunk than anyone. The tech boss disputed allegations made by Ms Burns that she was fired at his company for her behaviour on at the work trip despite her inebriated male colleagues not facing punishment. He said Ms Burns, a vice president of engineering at Gitpod, was fired because she was not a 'leader'. Birmingham Employment Tribunal heard she had been headhunted and took on her job with the promise of a six figure salary and an equity package potentially worth over £30million. But soon after joining in January 2023, Ms Burns said she became aware of a problematic culture. She said she had heard Mr Landgraf had a reputation of being a 'Tech Bro who liked to surround himself with fellow tech bros', the tribunal was told. She added it was a 'male dominated' company. At the centre of the tribunal hearing was an 'off-site' work trip in Lofer, Austria, in April 2023. Ms Burns said Mr Landgraf offered her a shot and he had 'several drinks' by this point and was 'slurring his words and struggling to stand'. Ms Burns said she was invited to partake in a 'game' which involved asking 'difficult' questions to one another about work. The executive said the line of questioning from Mr Landgraf implied that she was not doing her job adequately. She alleged that following trip she was sacked for getting too drunk in Austria despite other males getting more drunk than her. Now, Mr Landgraf has told the tribunal he 'does not accept her versions of events'. In a joint statement with Gitpod's Head of People Eva Hyder presented to the tribunal, he said: 'At the last night of the Lofer offsite, 5 April 2023, Shannon approached Johannes at the bar where they each had a shot of Swiss pine liquor, an Alpine speciality. 'Johannes recalls that their conversation started with friendly small talk, but it soon became obvious to Johannes that Shannon had already been drinking heavily. 'Johannes's recollection of the conversation differs from that Shannon gives... Shannon initiated a question and answer process and then changed tone abruptly asking Johannes how people could earn his trust. 'She then stated to Johannes in an emotional outburst that she felt he didn't trust her, asked why and asked how she could earn his trust. 'There then followed a broad conversation regarding expectations. 'The conversation finished, Shannon moved away, and Johannes then saw Shannon pour herself a large glass of wine but otherwise had no contact with her for the rest of the evening. 'Shannon has stated... she was intoxicated but no more so than other colleagues. 'Johannes agrees that he and many team members had consumed alcohol, but notes Shannon was clearly more intoxicated than others. 'The next morning, shuttle buses had been booked to take team members to the station and airport. 'Mike [Brevoort, chief product officer] recalls that Shannon's team members were waiting with the airport shuttle having loaded their bags. 'Mike was stepping out of the hotel when Shannon's room mate came to say Shannon would be late as Shannon was still packing and had lost her iPad and AirPods and had locked herself out of the room (the second such similar event). 'Shannon eventually emerged from the hotel dishevelled and visibly stressed some 20 minutes later. 'Shannon subsequently confirmed to Mike that she had misplaced her iPad and AirPods, had locked herself out of her room and had needed to sleep in the sauna room.' Mr Landgraf and the other respondents denied that there was a 'tech bro' environment. The statement said there had been performance concerns with Ms Burns since she joined. It said: 'Shannon had fallen far short of the performance expected from a Vice President. 'She had never transitioned from being the manager she had been in previous roles elsewhere into being a leader, taking ownership of matters. 'Shannon didn't deliver on time and needed help from others to deliver late. 'She required many hours of support and coaching each week...' Ms Burns was told that 'sleeping in a sauna area and being late for the shuttle was concerning' but her behaviour in Austria was not the reason for her dismissal, according to the Gitpod response statement. It added: 'Shannon was not dismissed or treated less favourably in any other way because she is a woman. 'She was not dismissed because she was drunk at Lofer... No team member has ever been dismissed for being drunk. 'Shannon was dismissed for the performance-related reasons described above.' Ms Burns - who has ADHD and dyslexia - also seeks claims of disability discrimination. The hearing continues.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Landgraf's Food Truck Freedom Bill passes Texas House
Editor's note: The video above first aired March 6th in a separate story regarding a similar food truck bill and how it could impact businesses. TEXAS (KMID/KPEJ)- On Friday, the Texas House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill to help food truck owners and operators across Texas. Written by State Representative Brooks Landgraf, House Bill 2844, the 'Mobile Food Vendor Regulatory Consistency Act,' allows food truck operators to purchase a single, statewide license, replacing the current process of buying local permits everywhere they visit. 'Texas is a place where entrepreneurs should thrive, not get buried under layers of red tape,' Landgraf said. 'This bill cuts through the bureaucracy and makes it easier for hard-working Texans to grow their businesses, provide for their families, and serve their communities.' Under HB 2844, food truck owners will no longer have to navigate different health permitting and inspection requirements in every city they operate. Instead, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) will issue a uniform license that allows mobile food vendors to operate 2844 does not interfere with a city's ability to enforce local rules regarding where and when food trucks can operate. Municipalities would retain full authority to adopt and enforce time, place, and manner restrictions to ensure compatibility with local needs and conditions. 'This is a win for small businesses, a win for public health, and a win for common sense,' Landgraf added. 'I'm grateful that food truck owners in Odessa pitched the idea to me, and to have good feedback from local leaders like Councilman Craig Stoker in fine-tuning the bill.' With House approval secured, HB 2844 now moves to the Texas Senate for consideration. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sexism row after ‘drunk' female executive sacked from £220k job
A female executive is suing a company for sex discrimination after she was sacked from her £220,000 a year job for being drunk, an employment tribunal has heard. Shannon Burns claims her employer dismissed her but took no action against other senior male figures who were also drinking and behaving in a way that was 'far more damaging'. The engineer is suing Gitpod, a software company, for sex discrimination after complaining of the rampant 'tech bro' culture at the 'male-dominated' firm. Ms Burns was headhunted for a senior role at Gitpod, which she took on with the promise of a six-figure salary and an equity package potentially worth more than £30 million, the hearing was told. However, soon after starting, issues emerged for Ms Burns – who has ADHD and dyslexia – as she became aware of the problematic culture at company, it was heard. The executive claims she was sacked after she drank alcoholic shots with her boss, lost her hotel room key and allegedly had to spend the night in a suite-like room with a sauna. This was despite other senior male figures – including Johannes Landgraf, the chief executive – also being 'far more intoxicated' and facing no punishment. The tribunal, held in Birmingham, heard that after starting in January 2023, American Ms Burns started to hear from multiple women that Mr Landgraf had a reputation of being a 'tech bro who liked to surround himself with fellow tech bros'. Ms Burns explained that 'tech bro' was a stereotype term referring to 'mostly younger white men' who 'embody aggressive, entitled, self-aggrandising, risk takers'. Ms Burns said that other female executives had highlighted the 'problematic male-dominated culture' within the leadership team on 'multiple occasions'. The executive attended a 'hackathon' event in Austria in April 2023 and she told the tribunal that she was 'excited' to meet her colleagues, who all work remotely in 14 countries. It was heard that on the evening of April 5, during the event, she and Mr Landgraf were both at a bar when he offered her a 'shot of liquor'. She told the tribunal that he appeared to have had 'several drinks' and was 'slurring his words and struggling to stand'. Ms Burns said she was invited to partake in a 'game' which involved asking 'difficult' questions to one another about work. The panel heard that he referred to the hackathon and asked a 'mortified' Ms Burns for the identity of engineers who had confided in her around their fears surrounding it. The employee said she was 'appalled' by the behaviour of the chief executive who was 'so intoxicated and inappropriate that he could not recognise the damage he had just done by shouting these words over the blaring music at the bar, within earshot of the people he was talking about'. Ms Burns told the tribunal: 'By the end of the evening, I was intoxicated but by no means more so than either Johannes or other male colleagues who were consuming alcohol.' It was heard that at the end of the evening, Ms Burns had to spend the night in a suite-like room – which she said had a sauna in it – after she was locked out of her hotel room. The next day, she received a message from a senior male executive who said that he had heard comments that Ms Burns had 'got too drunk and slept in the sauna room'. In June 2023, Ms Burns was 'unexpectedly' called into a meeting with two executives who told her that her employment at Gitpod was being terminated with immediate effect. Immediately after her dismissal, Mr Landgraf and other senior figures held meetings with Ms Burns's direct reports in which they told her that she had been sacked for 'performance issues and for being drunk at the off-site'. Bringing her claims to the tribunal, she said: 'My male colleagues were drinking alcohol/drunk at the offsite but I was the only one who was dismissed. 'One of my male colleagues [Johannes] behaved in a far more damaging way for both his own reputation and for Gitpod after 'consuming alcohol' at the offsite.' Ms Burns is also suing for disability discrimination as she believes her dismissal arose from her ADHD. Gitpod denies that she was fired for being drunk and say it was unaware of her disabilities. The hearing continues. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
